Be Free
by gleechild
Summary: Based on 11.18.07 episode: Boy Crazy. What if this wasn’t a Cold Case?  This is the story of what could have been with Sam & Dom if things had gone a little differently. Rated T but could become M in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. CBS and whoever wrote this episode owns them. I'm just changing their story a little.

Summary: What if this wasn't a Cold Case? This is the story of what could have been with Sam & Dom if things had gone a little differently.

Note: Based on 11/18/07 episode of Cold Case entitled Boy Crazy. I loved this couple and couldn't stand that the relationship died before it ever had a chance. If you missed the episode and need some info about what happened before this scene, just ask… although I think it becomes pretty clear throughout the story. The first chapter is basically stuff from the show but I flushed out the characters and… well… just read it.

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Chapter One

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Curious, envious eyes stare nearby as Dom asks, "Then what do you like?" And Sam looks a little disconcerted, looking anywhere except at Dom before whispering, "I like you."

Before either Janie or Dom knew what was happening, Sam leans around and kisses Dom on the mouth.

Janie is shocked and dismayed. She was looking forward to her date with Dom; she was flattered that he would want her over Red's car. She'd been checking him out for a while now and thought tonight could be the first of many. Seeing him obviously kissing that freak back pissed her off. The fact that he didn't show up for their date to hang out with said freak made her livid.

Dom is slightly tipsy but even he knows something weird is happening. Her mouth is so hot and so wet and he's unprepared. He's too shocked to do anything at first, after a moment, he relents and relaxes into the kiss. Millions of thoughts are shooting through his head. Why does this feel so good? Damn she's hot. But she's a he or she wants to be a he. What's that make him?

The last thought shocked him out of the best kiss of his life and he jumps away from her freaking out.

"What the hell are you doing!?!" he exclaimed, looking very weirded out.

"I don't know!" she shouted, clearly afraid that this would happen.

"I'm not some queer," he explained, trying to regain some cool and figure out what just happened. He was trying to regain some focus. She's his friend and he doesn't want to hurt her.

"I just want to be with you Dom, I'm sor—," she tries to say on the verge of tears.

"SHUT UP!" he yells. He can't help it, this is all so weird and he doesn't know how to respond and he just needs her to be quiet to figure this out. He just needs to get away from her…er…him? ...er… whatever the hell is going on is just too much to take.

"You try that again," he breathes out, glaring at her, "and I'll beat your head in." He throws his hands up and hurries away to his car.

"Dom!" she pleads, but he just keeps going.

_Well, well, well, _Janie thinks_, maybe there is still hope for me and him yet. _

Janie decides to follow Dom. He's not interested in freak girl; so he's definitely up for anything.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. CBS and whoever wrote this episode owns them. I'm just changing their story a little.

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Chapter Two

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Janie goes to her car, knowing Dom will go to his. She's going to follow him and make one last pass—hopefully this time he'll take the bait. She knows now that he's not into that gender-bender freakazoid, so he's got to be interested in a little fun.

She waits until he rounds the first bend through the woods before turning her lights on low and taking the same route slowly. There is only one way back to any sign of civilization by car so there's no way she'll lose him just yet.

Breaking, she glimpses his car's tail lights through the trees and can see which way he turns onto the main road. Hurrying, she goes down the trail and turns the same way. Now that they're both on the main, he'll just think she's a regular driver. He will have no idea that she's following him. Plus, with the way he was tearing through the trail in the woods, his mind isn't really on whether or not he's being followed.

She smiles to herself when she sees him turn off into a parking lot of a diner near the edge of town. This is good. No one will recognize her and she can make her move.

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"What can I get you?" the gum cracking waitress asks.

Dom glares up at her and mutters, "Coffee."

"Whatever babycakes," she says and swaddles away in her skirt and blouse—cute as a button.

Skirts and blouses! Dresses and makeup! Does all that really make a girl…a girl? Dom can't stop thinking about the kiss and about his best friend. He really does care about Sam. It's 1963 though and girls are supposed to act like girls. Sam said she doesn't know why she is the way she is. And she obviously likes boys, so she can't be queer or can she?!

Dom growls and puts his head in his hands, gripping his hair tight. He may not care about what other people think about him, but he definitely does not want anyone to think he likes boys! He's so mad at himself for admitting that. He just made a deal with Sam to be free or die trying and he can't even free himself from society's opinion.

"Well hello," came a female voice coyly.

Dom paused in gripping his hair and rolls his head to the side to look at the girl standing next to his booth. He stares, flabbergasted for the moment, his jaw drops and he starts to apologize.

"I'm sorr—," he's interrupted by her finger resting on his lips as her pouty mouth whispers.

"Shh… It's alright." She keeps her finger in place and slides into the booth seat next to him, causing him to slide over to make space for her.

They both stare at each other in silence for a moment. Him speechless and her preparing for the seduction of Dom Baron.

Bam!

They both look up startled as a cup and saucer slam down on the table nearly upsetting the liquid inside.

"Will that be all, or will the miss like something?" the same waitress asks, sneering at the blonde bombshell—she really dislikes perfect, blonde, snotty girls.

"Well uh, ah, um," he stutters uselessly.

"I'll have a cherry pop and fries," Janie says to the lady without even looking at her already having turned back to Dom.

"Hmph," the waitress let out before stomping off.

"So I waited for you," Janie said.

"Well, I, um…" he's not sure what to say. He stood her up, good and proper. There really is no excuse for that.

She cups the side of his face with her hand, gazing into his eyes.

"It's okay. I knew something important must have happened. After all, you raced Red for me when you could have raced him for his car. Red was stupid for ever putting me up as the stakes anyway. He only showed how much he didn't care. You, on the other hand," she slid her hand down his neck and slowly made her way down his chest, "showed me just how much you do care." She had leaned in very close.

If he was shocked earlier tonight, he couldn't be more shocked now. Her face was so close to his and her hand was on his chest and circling around.

"I wanted to make sure you knew that I noticed," she whispers as her hand continues its downward exploration.

Bam!

They both jump back away from each other as the waitress slams the fries and drink down on their table.

"Anything else?" she asks sweetly, knowing she's interrupting.

"No thank you," Janie says through clenched teeth, looking daggers at the wench.

"Enjoy," the waitress giggles as she sashays away, skirts swooping back and forth.

Skirts again, Dom thought, why do girls have to wear what they wear? It makes them all poofy and shows off their figures. If my girl wore dresses like that, guys could check out their boobs and their legs. It's like they're showing off for guys. They're all a bunch of sluts. If one wears clothes that aren't flattering, guys don't have anything to look at except the person. And most guys don't know how to be friends with a girl. No wonder Sam doesn't wear that crap, she's smarter than to show off like that. She knows what she's interested in and doesn't have time for all the frivolous girly things.

Janie picks up a fry and holds it to his mouth. "So where were we Dom?"

He shouldn't be here with this floozy making a move on him. He should be with Sam or at the very least _alone_ trying to figure out if he really wanted to be with Sam.

He reaches up and gently takes the fry away from her. He looks at it in his hand as hers drops away. He looks up at her.

"Janie, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have stood you up. That wasn't very nice. You're a right fine gal, but you belong to someone else and—well? I'm just not interested," he says apologetically.

She stares at him uncomprehending.

"But… you raced for me. I thought you liked me… wanted me," her eyes are wide and confused.

"I did… then. Things, er, well… my feelings have changed. I just decided it was a bad idea to go out with you at all. Just go back to Red, alright? I really gotta go now," he motions for her to move out of the booth seat so he can get up and leave.

She understands now. He's rejecting her. He doesn't want her. She just told him she wanted to be with him, that she knows he cares—and he's turning her down. Things have changed, have they? He must have it bad for that freak!

Outraged, she glares at him before standing up for him to pass. He scrambles out of the seat, ready to get out of there quickly. He pauses to drop some money on the table.

"I'll, uh, see you in school tomorrow," he mutters before turning and high-tailing it out of the place.

_Oh yes, see you at school tomorrow I will. You just messed with the wrong bitch. I'm sure everyone would just love to know all about that little kiss I saw. Dom Baron,_ Janie smiled to herself,_ you are going down._


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. CBS and whoever wrote this episode owns them. I'm just changing their story a little.

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Chapter Three

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_Where is she? When is school going to start? Why did I get here so early? Why is Red and his crew all smiling at me?_ Dom can't seem to stop thinking this morning. He never got to see Sam again last night. By the time he arrived back to their spot, she had already left—of course.

He spent the rest of the night trying to figure things out and still he wasn't sure what to do. He had no problem with Sam being who she wants to be. There is no question about that. The question is if _he_ wants to be _with_ who she wants to be.

He props his head up on his desk with one hand. This is just making him feel crazier. Nothing has been resolved in his mind, but he really wishes she'd get there so he could give her some sort of message to let her know he doesn't hate her.

Just then someone walked by and dropped a note on his desk. He glanced up and saw that it was Janie. _Great_, he thought_, what now?_

Opening the note, he read, "You really should have been _free_ with me last night." His brow furrows as he tries to understand. He looks back up at her and sees her smirk. With dawning awareness, he looks around at Red and his boys and finally understands what's going on.

Somehow—Lord knows how!—Janie had seen Sam and him make that deal last night, which means she also saw what followed. When he had turned Janie down, she had gotten revenge. She told everyone about the kiss!

Nervousness, anger, and loss of control start to build up inside of him. He was clenching the edge of his desk, trying to cool off when he felt a change in the air. Glancing to the classroom entrance, he sees Sam. She's coming in, a little uncertain about what lies ahead. She looks over at him. He quickly turns his head and looks forward, still trying to gain control before the proverbial shit hits the fan.

She gets to her desk and sits down, gasping when she sees the message someone left on her desk, QUEER!, it says in big bold black letters. She sighs and looks resigned as the twittering mocking laughter around her starts to build. She can't hold back the tears that start to swell in her eyes as she clutches her books to her chest and hunches over.

Red stands up smiling. "Aw, looky-here, she's crying. Boys don't cry," he says while walking towards her. "Are you a boy? Huh?"

She stands up and looks around, noticing the other boys in the class approaching her. Red grabs her chair and moves it out of the way. "Or do you just like kissing 'em?"

Other chairs and desks are pushed out of the way as the guys approach her and form a circle. She looks around for an escape route, but can't see what way to go. She looks back at Red.

"So, you a queer now, too? Make up your mind what you are, freak," he says. He grabs her shoulders and pushes her to one of the other guys who says, "You want to get with a boy, you got to look like a girl." He pushes her towards another guy. She starts yelling at them to get off. She can't regain control; she just keeps getting pushed back and forth. She's really upset and scared and doesn't know what to do.

Through all this, Dom has been trying to figure out what to do. Everyone knows what happened last night. If he helps Sam, he's going to be making a choice and he's not sure he wants to make it. Listening to her squeak in fear, he knows he can't sit by anymore while she needs him. Taking a deep breath, he stands up.

Walking over, he pushes his way into the circle and grabs her away from the last guy with his hands on her. "Get your hands off her," he growls. He holds her behind his back and the guys all move to stand in front of him. Some are laughing, while others are cracking their knuckles. Red is not looking pleased at having his fun disturbed.

"So, you're a queer too huh?" Red spits out. Dom just glares at him. Red looks around and starts laughing. "We were just having a little fun… and we weren't finished." Reaching into his pocket he pulls out a familiar gold container. "You won't mind if we touch her up a little do you? After all, you wouldn't want it to get around that you're queer too." Dom just keeps glaring, not saying a word.

"Oh ho ho! Maybe I've got this all wrong. She's the boy right? So I guess that makes you the girl. Here little princess, try this on," with that Red advances on Dom with the lipstick. Two guys grab Dom from each side. He starts fighting them off, looking back to try to protect Sam too. A couple other guys have already grabbed her and she's trying to fight them off. He manages to get a couple blows on one of the guys holding him, but Red lands a hard left hook that dazes him.

Meanwhile Sam has fought hard and gotten some hits in; but, one of the guys punches her hard in the stomach. She's grabbing her abdomen, trying to keep from falling, but she tumbles with a moan.

Dom goes crazy trying to get away from his captors when Tommy kicks her in the back while she's down. He wants to rip his head off. He can't get away from his attackers though and he ends up huffing and glaring at Red some more while Sam curls into a ball on the floor. Shouts can be heard up and down the hall of a "fight" so they all know help will arrive very shortly.

Red walks over to Dom and says, "This isn't finished Baron. Not by a long shot."

"Oh it's definitely not finished Buckley. This was eight versus two. Next time _you_ won't be so lucky," Dom sneered at him.

Just then the principal rushes into the room. "Randall! Baron! This way! Now!" He shouts. Dom helps Sam up. She's still cradling her stomach and hunching over, but she leans into him as he walks her through the crowd and into the hall.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. CBS and whoever wrote this episode owns them. I'm just changing their story a little.

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Chapter Four

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"Well that must have hurt," the nurse says sympathetically, while holding the ice packet up to his eye. "You really need to stop starting trouble."

_Tell me about it_, Dom says to himself. Stifling a moan of pain, he takes the packet away from her. "I've got it." He holds the packet to his eye himself.

"Alright then, Sam, keep your cold press on for now too. You don't have any broken ribs so I don't have to wrap anything, but those bruises are going to hurt worse before they get better. Once the muscles start hurting more, switch to a hot press. You may need to switch a couple of times. Just take it easy sweetie," the nurse sighs.

"Nurse! Joan is vomiting!" A girl opens the door to the nurse's office and exclaims the news. Standing up, the nurse grabs a bucket and some towels.

"I'll be back soon. Just sit and relax the both of you. The principal will want to talk to you shortly," with that the nurse goes rushing out of the room, leaving the door open in her haste.

The room is filled with silence.

Finally, Dom looks over to where she's lying back on an ice pack to relieve the pain in her back. She's holding another pack to her stomach. She's looking away from him and he can't tell at all what she's thinking.

"Sam…" he starts. She tenses.

"Sam…," he starts again, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted that way last night. I was scared and embarrassed and I didn't know how I was supposed to act. Sam?" She hasn't looked at him yet, but from the way she tilts her head and has held her breath, he knows she's listening to him. At least she's not yelling.

"Sam, would you please look at me? After what just happened, you have to know that I don't hate you. I'm just still really confused," he's not used to talking like this but he feels oddly comfortable saying it. It's always been like that with Sam. He can talk to her about anything.

Sam finally looks at him. Her eyes are so big; it's almost heartbreaking. He knows that she was scared—but she doesn't want to admit it. Boys don't cry and boys just suck it up. For once, _he_ doesn't want to be the boy. He just feels like crying for her. She's so lost.

He's been sitting on the bottom edge of his bed. He slides himself back and turns to throw his legs over the side. He's closer to her now.

"Sam? Please forgive me for acting like a meathead."

Words come whisper-like from her lips, so faint that he can't hear. Standing up, he leans his head close to hers. "I didn't hear you, Sam. Please say that again."

"How did they know?" Sam spoke the words again just a little louder. Finally he understands why she found it so hard to look at him, and why she can't talk to him now. She knows that everyone knows about last night. She thinks he betrayed her.

"Oh Sam, no! It wasn't me. I swear. I ain't like that. It was Janie. She was pissed I didn't show up for the date. She came looking for me. She was so pissed she decided to tell everyone what she saw. That's how they knew."

Wincing, she looks up at him and a glimmer of a smile shows, "Well how's that for irony? She got both of us back in one fell swoop." She mutters.

"Yeah, but no amount of revenge is going to give her back her wounded pride. Poor Janie—pride and a ponytail—sounds like a movie title," he cracks.

They both burst out laughing. Finally the laughter calms down and they look at each other. They both look a little uncertain.

"Listen, Sam," he begins. "We need to talk some more. This was a big fight; I know we're looking at problems from Principal Ass and our parents. Whatever happens, meet me at our spot tomorrow as soon as you can make it, okay?" He knows the nurse is coming back really soon; and then things are going to be grim.

She looks at him, and a slow smile comes over her face just as the nurse comes back into the room with a female student following close behind holding a bucket close to her face. The student almost walks into the bed before looking up and seeing Dom sitting there.

"Oh, hi Dom," Lucy says, before turning, kneeling, and gagging into the bucket again. Dom looks at her disgusted before turning back to Sam who's wearing a grossed out look too.

"Time to go folks," the nurse helps Sam stand up. Dom takes a hold of the pack of ice and holds it to her back for her. "The principal is waiting."

"Thanks," Sam whispers during their walk.

"No problem," he whispers back. She's moving really slowly, but he doesn't mind, he just doesn't want her to feel any pain.

"And yes," she whispers.

"Yes?" he asks.

"I'll be there—no matter what," she whispers, smiling up at him as they arrive at the office.

They go into the office with a nod from the secretary. Both of them are smiling until they see who is waiting in the office with the principal.

_Oh shit,_ thought Dom,_ I knew this day was going to get worse before it got better—was hoping I was wrong though._

With a sigh, he sits down in the chair next to his father while Sam sits in the chair next to hers.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. CBS and whoever wrote this episode owns them. I'm just changing their story a little.

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Chapter Five

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"I should expel the both of you!" Principal Owens exclaims.

Mr. Randall starts to argue with the man while Mr. Baron continues to sit politely looking down at his hat in his hands.

"But I will not," Owens says. "Students have told me that this was instigated by others. I will, however, suspend the both of you for three days." Randall once again starts to argue but stops when Owens raises his hand.

"Mr. Randall—enough! If I had my way your daughter would not be returning to this school at all. Since Dom here was also a part of the problem, I can't expel one without expelling the other. This suspension will hold to calm down everyone over the next few days. However, mark my words, if anything like this happens ever again I will not hesitate to be rid of the both of you. Mr. Randall, Mr. Baron, I suggest you make your children aware of the ramifications of their actions."

Mr. Randall nodded vigorously while Mr. Baron continues to sit in his solemn way.

"That will be all. Please leave now. Neither of you is allowed on school premises until Thursday of next week. Is that clear?" Principal Owens asks.

Both Dom and Sam give him a curt nod. "That will be all."

Sam stands up and almost runs out of the room, relieved to get out but knowing she's facing a lecture and disappointment from her father.

Dom sits quietly next to his father until the man stands up, shakes Owens hand, puts his hat back on and begins walking to his car. Dom follows slowly behind him.

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"Don't you dare run away from me!" Randall shouts as Sam sprints in through the front door of the house and begins climbing the stairs to her room. She stops on the stairs and turns around. She looks down with her hand on the railing.

"Sam, I have sacrificed two jobs! I have moved twice already just to be able to keep you in school. I do not want to do that again! You could have been expelled today." Randall isn't calming down anytime soon.

"I—I'm sorry daddy. The other guys just went crazy on us. I didn't do anything! I swear! I just went to class and sat down. The other guys started it." Sam said trying to hold back the tears.

"Of course they did. They don't understand you. Just like _I_ don't understand you! But this has been enough. You have until next week to come to your senses. You can hate it all you want, but when it's time to go back to school, you _will_ wear a skirt and blouse. You _will_ dress like a girl! You are a girl! Samantha is your name!" Randall is shouting by the time he gets to the end of his rant.

"It will be a frigid day in hell before I become someone I'm not!" Sam yells before turning to stomp back up the stairs.

"Well hell will freeze over next week! Mark my words! You will do as I say or there will be consequences! You better think long and hard before you defy me Samantha! I am your father; you _will _respect me!" The sound of her bedroom door slamming enunciated his last shout.

Randall turned around to slam the front door shut before removing his coat and hat. After putting them on the hall coat rack, he leaned against the wall and looks up to heaven. _Lord_, he thinks, _help her come to her senses. I don't know what to do. I want her to be happy but I need some happiness too. Help me Lord, Amen._

With that, he walked to the study to pour himself a stiff drink.

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It's not that Dom hates authority figures—well, okay, he does. It's more that he hates people who think they have a right to tell him what to do.

He's never respected his elders. He doesn't do respect or obey very well. Don't get him wrong, he has no grand illusions about taking over the world and having the ultimate power. No, his issues come from something a bit more personal.

The fist comes flying at his face before he can duck and his body ends up slamming into the wall behind him. Grabbing his face, he tries to wiggle along the wall out of the way. There was no need—his father wasn't drunk.

"What is wrong with you?" his father spoke in his even gravelly voice. His father only spoke in his dead even voice when he was sober and angry. If he were drunk, things would be completely different.

Fighting at school—it's nothing new. Fighting over a girl—nope, that's not new either. Everyone is used to hearing about Hank Baron's misfit son. But Hank Baron would never like the idea of his son dating some girl who thinks she's a boy—and neither would the people of the community that he liked to charm.

Hank Baron had always been a charmer. He charmed his teachers back in high school. He charmed Hannah Baker into marrying him right after graduation. He charmed his way into purchasing a used car dealership where, to this day, he charms customers into buying his cars over any others. One day he hoped to charm his way into being the next Mayor.

Boys will be boys. No one will think differently of Hank if his son gets into squabbles every now and again. They _will_ think differently about this.

"Do you have any idea what people will think if this gets out? What the hell were you thinking? And who the hell was that…that…he/she!" his father said.

Dom doesn't explain anything to his father. He never has. He hates the man. Since the time he was old enough to understand that fathers weren't supposed to drink as much as his did—and if they did drink that much, they weren't allowed to hit their wives or their kids—he has hated his father.

Instead of explaining anything about Sam—it would be pointless—he just stood quietly rubbing his jaw. He was waiting for his dad to end his tirade. He knew if he said anything it would just make it worse.

"I don't want you near that…that…person again. You see _it_ at school, you turn and walk the other way. No son of mine is going to be queer. That better be understood." He growled out. "I don't even want to look at you any more. You disgust me."

With that, Hank put his coat and hat back on and went back to work, closing the front door quietly behind him.

Dom almost wished he had slammed it. He began the trek up the stairs to his room. He figured he might as well try to get a nap in. He knew his mind was going to be consumed with thoughts of Sam—he was having trouble _not_ thinking about her. But he needed to clear his head. His dad was definitely coming home drunk tonight. His ma was going to need him.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. CBS and whoever wrote this episode owns them. I'm just changing their story a little.

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Chapter Six

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It's funny how the world looks so different sometimes. One minute everything makes sense and the next it blows up in your face. If anyone had told him last year that he would be sitting under his favorite tree waiting for his best—well only real—friend to show up _and_ that friend was a girl who dressed and acted like a boy, he probably would have punched that person out. If he was then told that he would share a kiss with this peculiar girl and enjoy it, that person would probably not be walking anytime soon.

But it happened, and here he is. His body was still a little sore from the fight last night with his dad. All in all, it didn't go too badly. Dad came home in one of his moods but he was slightly more out of it than usual so he passed out sooner than he typically did—though not before he yelled at Dom a lot about being a freak. And not before his mom tried to make his dad stop which is never a good thing. Dom took a couple blows while trying to protect his mom. He still can't understand how she's put up with him all these years. Most women in his mom's situation don't complain though. They take what gets dished out to them. That's probably why he was so drawn to Sam to begin with.

She's a strong female who never backs down. If some guy ever hit her she wouldn't take it lying down. She'd give as good as she got.

Maybe that's why he finds himself sitting beneath this tree unable to forget how sweet her lips tasted or how protective he felt towards her yesterday when those guys were messing with her.

He's kind of scared of the feelings he has. He doesn't understand them. He's never felt anything like this before. He doesn't really have anyone to talk to either because he didn't know anyone else who had the hots for a girl like Sam. So he has to figure it out on his own. He's not sure if he's going to be able to do that. He figured he's just gonna have to take it slowly and see how things play out.

A soft rustling was his only warning before Sam walked slowly out of the clearing. She was wearing her customary button down male dress shirt with jeans. She had her hands stuffed in her pockets, arms locked at the elbows, looking down and shuffling her feet as she moved forward. She looked as uncertain as he felt.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she said, finally looking up and seeing his face. "Whoa, what happened to you? Red did all that?" She didn't run to him and fuss like girls usually do. He was kind of glad about it. He despised pity about as much as he despised his father.

"Nah, he only got one lucky hit in. The rest was courtesy dear ole dad. I got a couple shots in myself though," he shook his head and gave a little smirk of a smile.

"Glad to hear it. Your dad's an ass," she said. "I guess that means things didn't go so well once you got home. He was sober?" She walked over and sat down near him but not too close. He had told her a little bit about his dad before and she knew he usually got violent when he drank.

"I got this shiny looking beauty when we got home," pointing to his right jaw. "Red gave me the black eye. The scratches and welt on my forehead came later that night. Weren't as bad as usual," he let out a mocking laugh. "So how'd your obligatory fatherly lecture go once you got home?"

"Well, the way all obligatory fatherly lectures go," she said the next with a deep voice and stern menacing brow clench, "Don't do it again." She let out a laugh. "I found it funny considering I didn't do anything to begin with, but who cares about that small fact."

"Yeah," he muttered.

"Yeah," she whispered. She was having problems looking at him. This conversation was going well but she knew he wanted to talk and she didn't know what to say. She figured she'd let him run the show.

He looked down. He was twirling a blade of grass in his fingers. With a sigh he tossed it to the side and stood up.

She looked up at him in surprise.

"Let's get out of here. I know a place," he said impulsively.

"Alright," she said. She took a breath and jumped to her feet. She wasn't the type to wait around for a guy to offer his hand to help her up.

"Where to?" she asked, following him to his car.

"You'll see," he grinned back at her. They reached the car and got in. He took off with a spray of dirt.

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"Whoa, where is this place?" she said, looking around at all the trees and grass.

He got out of the car and slammed the door, waiting for her to do the same.

"This is an abandoned fort. It's considered a state park now or something, but it used to be some army camp," he started walking along an overgrown trail. She followed quickly behind him. She was up for exploring. They walked along silently, just taking in the scenery for a while and acting tough as a way to cover up how shy and uncertain they both were.

"This is great," she said, deciding to get the conversation going. "There was some woods not too far from where dad and I used to live. I spent a lot of time out there climbing trees and practicing with my slingshot."

"Slingshot?" he said, quirking an eyebrow.

She laughed. "Yeah, a slingshot. I got real good at hitting the side of a can." He laughed out loud at that.

"What can I say? I've got many talents," she smiled at him.

He stopped in the path and looked at her. She really did have a great smile.

She turned her head to the side of him and looked at something over his shoulder.

"Whoa, they didn't grow them like that where I come from."

He turned around, "What are you talking about?"

"That tree Dom!" she exclaimed, pointing before she walked a few yards over to a very _very_ tall, very old tree.

"Yep. That's a big tree," he laughed.

She circled around it, checking it out. She seemed to be looking for something.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"This is too good to pass up!" she exclaimed right before she found the branch she was looking for. She jumped and grabbed hold of a thick lower branch of the tree. She swung back and flung her legs up onto another branch. She climbed her way up to a sitting position.

"Dom, you have got to try this!" she smiled down at him before continuing to climb.

He sighed. He hadn't climbed a tree since he was twelve. No time like the present to re-live your childhood, right? He shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it to the ground before grabbing onto the same lower limb and climbing up behind her.

"Ha, race you to the top," she shouted.

"Hey, you got a head start." He started to climb faster while she just laughed and kept climbing.

Finally they both got to a point at the top that they couldn't go anymore. The branches were just too thin. They were both breathless and grinning. Dom looked down. "Whoa, that's a long way up."

Sam was hardly listening to him though. He looked at her to see why she wasn't responding and caught his breath at the look on her face.

"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" she whispered. He tried to follow her gaze, but all he saw was the Marina and some buildings in town. "Well, I guess the town is okay to look at…" he was slightly perplexed.

"No, look, see?" she said pointing at an angle to the sky. "That bird right there." He followed her hand and finally saw what she saw.

"It's so free Dom. That little bird is just flying. It's free to go wherever it wants to go. If it wants to turn to the left, or head down river, it doesn't matter. No one tells the bird where to go. I want to be like that Dom. Free, like a bird. I want to fly," she grinned and spread her arms wide. She lost her a balance a little and started to slip.

He grabbed a hold of her around the waist and pulled her back up to her limb. In the process he almost lost his balance. Somehow they ended up holding onto each other, at the top of this huge tree, staring into each others eyes.

He kissed her. He started with a brief gentle brush of her lips. He pulled back briefly and saw her eyes were so huge and beautiful before leaning forward to kiss her again. This time with more passion, he deepened the kiss, begging for entrance to her mouth with his tongue, angling his head to the right then moving to the left, exploring her lips and just enjoying the taste of her.

He finally eased back and stared at her, wondering what her reaction would be. Her lips looked well kissed and she was once again breathless. She stared at him, her eyes almost asking if that just happened.

"Sam," he whispered, "I like you too." He was responding to the words she had said to him two nights ago. He thought this was a better response than the last one.

"I'm sorry about last time. I just needed time to think. I…I want to give this a try, if you still want to, I mean, I know things will be… different…but I want to be free… with you too" he had never stuttered this much in his life. He hoped she hadn't changed her mind—that would certainly be unsettling.

"I do," she whispered back before leaning forward to kiss him some more.

At that moment he would have given anything to be out of the stupid tree.

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"Hey Dom, I noticed an almost clicking noise on our drive over here," she said, leaning into his side. They were walking back to the car. The afternoon had passed by too quickly while they continued to explore the area and get to know each other better. Sam had realized how late it was getting and knew she had to be home when her dad got there or she'd be in even more hot water. They decided it was time to go back, unfortunately.

"Oh yeah?" he looked at his car, "I didn't hear nothin'. You sure about that?" He had no doubt that if she said she heard something, she really had. He just wanted to fool with her.

"Yeah, I think it was the motor mount. Pop the hood," she said as they arrived back to the car. He did as she said and, sure enough, the motor mount had to be readjusted.

"Told ya," she laughed. He looked at her and pointed to her face, "What is that?"

"What?" she brushed at her nose leaving behind a trace of grease that was absolutely adorable. He laughed and pulled her towards him, "Oh, don't worry. I got it." He kissed her for what seemed like the hundredth time that afternoon. He couldn't seem to get enough of her.

Knowing that she needed to be home soon, he finally backed away and closed the car's hood. "Let's head out," he said. They got into the car and headed to her house.

"You really are great with engines Sam. I wouldn't have heard that noise for another week at least and it would have made it a lot worse. How do you know so much about cars if that dumb school won't let you take those classes?" he asked.

"Oh, well, I've got a car," she explained.

"What?" He certainly hadn't seen another one besides her father's ever in front of their house.

"Dad broke down and bought it for me a few years back. He knew I wouldn't back down about taking mechanic and shop classes at school, so he got me an old clunker that was basically scrap to work on and figure out how things work. We keep it in storage. I head up there when I get the chance. It's just about ready for the open road. I need probably one more day on her." He loved how she called her car a girl just like all other guys do.

"Well how about it?" he asked.

"Huh?" she didn't follow.

"You free tomorrow? Got something more exciting to do on a Saturday? I could pick you up and we can spend the day getting _her_ operational. What'd ya think?" he was hoping she'd say yes.

She grinned, "Course, man, that'd be great."

He finally arrived out front of her house. He started to lean towards her for a kiss but got confused when she drew back away from him.

"Um, okay?"

"Dom," she began slowly, "I would like nothing more than to kiss you right now, but I don't want to make things worse for you—at school, or at home. Friends is enough of a problem. I think we should keep the other stuff to ourselves…for now at least, okay? There are any number of neighbors around right now, keeping their eyes peeled for the best gossip to spread. I want to be myself, and I know you do too. I just don't want to get you hurt again." She looked at him with pleading eyes.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, right?" she asked.

"Right," he said slowly, still staring at her.

She turned to pull on the handle of the door and started pushing it open.

"Sam," he said.

"Huh?" she asked, turning back to look at him.

He continued leaning towards her and kissed her hard on the mouth. She moaned into the kiss for a moment before pulling back.

"Let them talk," he said. He leaned back into his seat and looked straight ahead.

She looked at him in shock and somehow wobbled out of the car and closed the door. She walked up to her house, glancing around to see if any of the neighbors were out and about. No one seemed to be around, but that's what curtains are for. She sighed and continued the walk up to her front door. She glanced back at the car after she got the door open.

He nodded at her and smiled that devastating grin before pulling off with a wave.

She couldn't wait until tomorrow.


End file.
